Butler&#39;s knife.



Nn. 683,867. Patentsd 0st. I, I90I.

J. M. STBYKER. I

BUTLEBS KNIFE.

(Application led Hay .28, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l7 No. 683,867.` Patented Det. l, |901.

J. M. STRYKEH. BUTLEBS KNIFE.

(Application glad Hay 28, 1900.)

2 Sheets-She 2.

(N0 Model.)

2.72 vez@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

jAMES M. STRYKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO M. S. INGRAIIAM,

OF SAME PLACE.

BUTLERS KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION ferm-1g part of Letters Patent No. 683,867, dated octebr 1, 19011.

Application flied May 28,1900. senin No. 18.192. (No masi.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. STRYKER, a citizen 'of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Butlers Knives, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved knife adapted for the purpose of scraping and cleaning plates, dishes, and

p cooking utensils.

'showing the manner of using my improved knife therewith.

My improvement comprises a blade A, of spring sheet metal, and a handle B, preferably of wire or rod bent into suitable form to receive tho blade, as illustrated.

The utility of this device arises largely out of the shape of the blade and secondarily out of its relation to the handle. The blade A is made, as stated, of stiff sheet metal and is shaped so as to have the outer end edge a3 merging in conveXly-rounded outer end corners A2 and A3 and upper and lower side edges, the former comprising portions a4 and a5 and an intermediate rentrant curve A4 and the latter comprising portions a2 and a6, an intermediate conveXly-rounded corner A', and rentrant curve A5, the portions 0.5 and a of the upper and lower side edges, respectively, running back from the concave rentrant curves Atand A5, being convergent and constituting the stem a7 of the blade, adapted to be received by the handle and affording means for attaching the latter. The angle between the portions a' and d2 of the lower side edge, in which the outline of the convex corner A merges, is an obtuse angle-.that is, the extreme tangents to the curve of this corner, if produced toward each other, would meet in an obtuse angle, as at fr. The line of the edge a3 between the corners A2 and A3,'

if produced to meet the line of the portion d2 of the lower side edge, would form therewith a slight acute angle at y. The portion a' of the upper side edge between the corner A3 and rentrant curve A4, if produced in a straight line to meet the end edge as, would form therewith an angle at a more acute than the angle y. The handle extends from the stem a7 of the blade in a direction which for a short distance is substantially in the direction of the portion a5 of the upper side edge.l I prefer to form the handle B, asillustrated, of a single piece of Wire folded upon itself at substantially the middle pointb, one limb b being straight and the other being bent at b3, so as to diverge from the limb b', the end portions of the two limbs thus conforming in relative direction to the angle between the directions of the portions a5 and a6 of the upper and lower side edges, respectively, of the blade. The end portions B" and B2 of the two limbs are provided at the inner side with saw cuts or slots B3 B3 of suitable width to receive the said edges of the blade, the lips of the slotted wire forming the margins of the slots being designed to be clenched down by a heavy blow or pressure in a die-press onto the surfaces of the blade and thus secured thereto. For greater security in respect to the fastening of the handle to the blade I form at the rear end of the stem a7 a recess or deep notch as, leaving standing projections A9 A9 facing each other, whose width is substantially equal to the depth of the saw-cuts B3 B3 in the wire forming the handle, and in the inner or facing edges of said projectionsthat is, in the lateral edges of said notch-I form small notches a9 a9, which will be overhung by the lips or lateral margins of the movement,fsuch as might be caused by springing the two limbs of the wire handle. Thus IOS a very secure form of attachment `is made which is not dependent for its pernianency upon the form of the notches, as is the case when engagement is eiiected bysinking metal into dovetailed notches in the outer edges of the blade, as in constructions heretofore in use.

The mode of use of this tool is illustrated in the drawings, the angles A', A2, and A3 being adapted by inclining the blade at varying angles to fit the common curves of dishes, plates, cups, and cooking utensils, the elasticity of the metal of which the blade is oomposed making it possible to produce an almost perfect fit by slight pressure, while the adjacent edges a2 and a5 iit the plane surfaces of the vessel being cleaned, and thus the tool is adapted to scrape quickly and easily all the surfaces, plane and curved. The angle of the edge at CL3 to the general extent of the handle B is such as to adapt the knife for the most natural and easiest movement in scraping extended plane surfaces-as the inner surfaces of plates, platters, saucers, and the like-the said angle being such as to enable a forward and lateral pushing motion of the blade, as shown in Fig. 3, without in any way peroeptibly lessening the efciency of said edge when the knife is used perpendicularly, or, more effectively, in an approximate perpendicular position in cleaning the lower interior surfaces of frying-pans, kettles, basins, and other deep utensils, as shown at a in Fig. 4t. The angles between the portion a2 of the lower side edge and the end edge CL3 and between said end edge a and the portion a4 of the upper side edge are such as to adapt the knife for use in cleaning the concave curves of plates and like vessels with a motion either from right to left or from left to right without turning over (and the accompanying necessity of previously cleaning) the blade by causing the round corners A2 A3 (this enabled by the rentrant curve A4) to follow around the marginal curve of the plate when the edge a3 is kept in contact with the plane central surface at an apparently acute angle to the direction in which it is advanced, as will be also seen in Fig. 3. The angle of the portion a2 of the lower side edge to the general extent of the handle B and the eiect of said handle from said blade are such as will enable said portion a2 to be used, if desired, on larger plane surfaces, such as platters and the like, and in cleaning the interior walls of kettles, basins, and other deep utensils, as shown at ct in Fig. 5.

I claiml. A butlers knife for cleaning dishes and cooking utensils, consisting of a single ilexibly-elastic blade having convex corners, A and A2, the former inscribed within a widelyobtuse angle and the latter inscribed within aslightly-aoute angle, and a straight edge between said rounded corners; in combination with a handle extending rigidly from the end cease?l beyond said obtuse angle, and secured along inforced at said edge, and the said rounded corner constitutes a flexibly-elastic projection offset laterally from the line of the handle.

3. A knife for the purpose stated, consisting of a single flexibly-elastic blade having a straight edge, a3, at one end, in combination with a handle extending rigidly from the 0pposite end in a direction slightly oblique to such blade; said straight edge merging at both ends in rounded corners each inscribed within an acute angle, such rounded corners merging in the lateral edges of the blade, such lateral edges extending convergently from the rounded corners toward the handle, and being also convergent along the extreme portions of the said edges, the handle secured along said extreme portions of the lateral edges to stiften the blade at the end portion opposite the straight edge; whereby IOO both said rounded corners constitute projections extending laterally beyond the remaining lateral outline of both the blade and handle and the knife is provided with a straight edge transverse to the length of the handle.

4. A knife for the purpose stated, consisting of a single flexibly-elastic blade having a straight edge, a3 at one end; in combination with a handle extending rigidly from the opposite end, said straight edge merging at both ends in rounded corners inscribed within acute angles and merging in converging portions of the lateral edges of the blade, the handle being secured to the extreme portions of the lateral edges to stiifen the blade at the end portion opposite said straight edge.

5. A knife for the purpose described, consisting of a single iiexibly-elastic blade having at one end rounded corners each inscribed within an acute angle, the edges converging from said acute angles having rentrant curves toward the opposite end of the blade, in combination with a handle joined to said opposite end at the edges of the blade running froin said rentrant curve toward said end, whereby that end of the blade is stiffened or reinforced, and the remaining iiexible portion is offset laterally both ways from the trend of the handle.

6. In combination with the blade having at the rear end the recess a8, forming en dwise projections, A9, continuing the lateral edges cease? of the blade, the inner or facing edges of said projections having notches, a9; a handle made handle being pinched onto the surface of.' the blade and sunken into said notches a9.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, in the presence I5 of two Witnessesj this 23d day of May, A. D. 1900.

JAMES M. STRYKER.

In presence of@ OHAs. S. BURTON, EDGAR L. CONANT. 

